April 25 2015
Ian Ransome and I are attempting a Four Corners and an End to End combined
which proved to be good planning as will be seen later in this tale, so here we are at Tesco Penzance and not a
failed artist or superannuated hippie in sight which is hardly surprising at
2.30 AM.
We started at Penzance for the simple reason
that Ian's sister lives close to Lands End hence free accommodation,
With a receipt timed at stupid AM we started
north on the A30/M5 mixed weather showers and sunshine when it finally appeared
around 5AM a quick stop at Gordano services for tea and a bacon buttie by the
time we got to the Severn bridge the rain had stopped and it was overcast and
dry when we finally got off the end of the M4 the ride was more
interesting.
After getting fuel and stretching the
legs and trying to get some life back in my arris, for those of you that aint up
to scratch wiv cockerny arris is an abbreviation of Aristotle which rhymes wiv
bottle which is an abbreviation of bottle and glass which rhymes wiv arse all
clear so far......good.
Anyhoo back to the saga we headed North on the A487 to Aberwristwatch
(never could get my head round this Welsh spelling) via Cardigan, on the way we got tangled up with a cycle rally there
was undreds of the buggers spread over about 20 miles which made life
interesting on the narrow welsh
coast road.
Finally clear of all those effin cyclists we
turned North East to Chester and lunch nice hot chocolate and a tuna pasta
stretch the legs get some life back in me arris, I aint doing the explanation
again.
Now we are on the M6 going North weather
steadily getting worse after passing the Lake district it got colder as we
climbed the Shap at Tebay services fuel stop extra thermal top stretch the legs
get some life back in me arris have you spotted the pattern yet dear
reader?
Weather now total crap going North M6/A74M
but making good progress all the way to the
border at that point the sky cleared and lovely sunshine which lasted all
the way to Ft William that was nice of the SNP to organise this for a couple of
FEBS, a nice ride through Glasgow to the Erskine bridge and started north on the
A82 past Loch Lomond and the Green welly at Tyndrum about 5PM still full of
bikers power rangers suits everywhere.
Leaving that behind and climbing up to Rannoch moor the road opens out long
fast straights and sweeping curves so good progress to Glen Coe weather still
warm but the hills around the national ski centre covered in snow as were the
tops of the hills in glen Coe,we rode past Jimmy Savile's old cottage in Glen
Coe all boarded up and looking a bit sad.
Fuel and tea at Ft William stretch the legs get some life back in me arris I wish it had gone numb, now the sun was going down so was the temperature and
the rain was back so the pace fell as it was getting dark on unfamiliar roads as
Inverness fell behind there was a couple of heavy snow showers which did sweet
FA for our frame of mind and it was getting colder as we went north.
At the right turn off the A9 onto the A99 to Wick the final leg north got
harder in the dark and more snow showers at this stage we were both getting
tired I was getting muscle cramps in my shoulders and legs forcing me to stop
twice to rest, finally we got to Tesco at Wick it was that cold I was shaking
that much it took two goes to enter my pin No in the card reader.
we were both starting to make silly mistakes and were close to hypothermia
Inspite of wearing two thermal layers under my
riding kit we were booked into the Seaview Hotel at John o Groats for a couple
of hours rest we stopped the ride there for the night as it would have been
stupid to continue.
Had we been able to keep going we would have
got the Four Corners, we should have done the ride in June for the warmer
weather.
John Morning
thanks for looking
7th May 2015
P.S Just got an e-mail from Mike Topham I did
enough for an EtoE gold
P.P.S Must do something with that poxy seat
to save my arris from any more grief.
